Clip connection for spring seat structures



July 14, 1942. w. H. NEELY CLIP CONNECTION FOR SPRING SEAT STRUCTURES Filed Jan. 18, 1939 INVENTOR. wlLLiHM H- NEELY 8W. Q

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m aenyis mi v azaa'zza y a our common ronsramo sear --smucruass WiiliamHnNeely. assignor, by

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meme assignments, to John C. LInooImScottI- sp rant mmie, 1939, "se ial No. 251,521;

invention relates in general to spring seat structures embodying a plurality of specifically iol. 155 -179) ing certain novel'fea tur es of construction are constructed flat springs of sinuous or similar shape. which springs are arranged side by sideacross a frame and form acontinuous elevated seating portion above the frame. In thesespring seat structures the elevated seating portion has its edge generally reenforced by;an edge wire clips which are clamped around the springs and wireby means of special tools; However, these clips easily open up when. under stress, so that the life of spring seat structures embodying this typeof clipsis materially decreased. :This deiiciency of currently 1 used clamping clips has partly been overcome by. interlocking the ends is costly and necessitates use of dies andheavymachinery. i i i The general object of the present invention is the provision of a simple and economical wire clip. with yielding self locking gripping action, which clip can readily andzeasilybe attached to or detached from the connected elementand expensive tools,

element to a spring or other wire member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and economicalwire clip embodying an means extending from the ends of said coil insuch relation with respect to each other that the clamping coil is tightened around the elements to be coupled when the lever tensioning means are forcibly engaged and interlocked with one of the coupled elements.

In addition the invention has certain other marked superiorities which radically distinguish it from presently known structures. These imtil clearly set forth in the appended claims; and a preferred formof embodiment of the invention is hereinafter shown with reference tothe ac-l cation.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary companying drawing formingpart of the specifiplan view of a spring seat structure embodying specifically construct of the clips with each other, however, this process shown in Fig. 4: and i 30 which securely connects an edge wire orsimilar ed flat springs of sinuous shape, which springs are coupled with andsupport an edge wire by means of spring clips made in accordance'with the invention. v H

Fig. 2"is'a fragmentary, enlarged sectional view taken on line'2-2of Fig. 1, showing a side view of one of the spring clips shown in'Fig. 1.

82 3 is a perspective view of the spring clip 1 showninFigJ, W H i Fig; 4 is another fragmentary, enlarged sectional view taken on line t-l of Fig. 1, showing aside view of anotherone of the spring clips shown-inFlgnlb Fig. 5 is a perspective view Fig. 6 is a plan viewof a spring structure embodying coiled springs coupled with a wire by means of spring clips according tothe invention. In the spring seat structure 2; fragmentarily illustrated in Fig. l, a, plurality of specifically constructed fiat, sinuously shaped springs 3 are arranged erosswiseofa frame 4 and supported in elevated position upon front and rear rails 5 and 6 of frame. 4. These springs have attached to their front ends an edge wire], secured. to i said springs by spring clips 8, and, in addition, the sides of the spring seat structure have atwire and each embodies an open wound clamping provements or superior characteristics embody- 5 coil i4 having a single loop and an integral tensioning lever l5 extended from one end of coil ll in slightly overlapping relation with respect to the other end of said coil. This lever I! has its end portion downwardly and laterally offset to form a substantially U-shaped seat It which is preferably slightly angularly related to coil l4 for a purpose later to be described. The end portion I! of U-shaped seat I6 is slightly bent inwardly, as at l8, to eflect automatic locking of lever I5; Thus the slight inclination of coil H with respect to seat It causes automatic shift- AT TOmcEg' of the spring clip -coil ll slipped upon edge=wire I and wire II, and

then lever II is forced toward coil ll until seat I on lever- I! is snapped into engagement with edge wire I and wire II. In such a position coil I4 is fully closed as lever I 8 contacts with the end portion of said coil and closes same, and coil ll being tilted securely grip! wires I and H, while lever I is yieldingly forced into engagement with said wires. Lever ll also has been shifted laterally, so that inward bent portion I. on U-shaped seat I prohibits accidental release of seat II from wires I and II. The lateral shifting of the lever is caused by the tilted relationship of coil II with respect to lever II and the tilting of coil ll with respect to the wires 1 and II.

The side edges of the spring seat structure 2, as stated above, are reenforcedby edge wires 9 which are attached to and, supported by the sinuous loops is, spring clips I. being used for such purpose. These clips are made of spring steel wire and eachembodies a central, opencoiled clamping portion 22 consisting of a coil of slightly less than one and one half turns.

Ends, 23' of clamping portion 22 have tangentially extended therefrom integral clamping levers 24, 25, which levers are acute angularly related to each other and have laterally and outwardly extended from their free ends U-shaped seats 26, 21 arranged in inverted position with respect to each other.

Clip l0, when used for attaching edge wire 9 to the sinuous loops I9, is slipped upon said edge wire and the curved portion 2! of a loop is until coiled clamping portion 22 fully encircles portion 28 and wire 9, then one of the seats 2t, 21 of levers 24, 25 respectively is brought into engagement with one of the straight wire portion 29, 30 of the respective coil is, and, finally, the seat of the remaining lever is forcibly brought opposite the respective straight wire portion of said coil and-snapped into engagement with said wire portion. In this position of clip ll clamping portion 22 tightly grips edge wire] and curved portion 28 of coil II and securely interlocks said edge wire with spring I.

It is obvious, that spring clips of the type described above can readily'be used for structures wherein coil-springs are grouped together within a steel wire frame forming the edge wire for the structure, as commonly practiced in present day upholstered furniture constructions. The use of yielding wire clips for such structures is shown in Fig. 6, in which figure a plurality of coil springs 3| are connected to an edge wire 32 by neans of spring steel wire clips 28, principallyJconstructed similar to clips ll previouslysdescribed with the exception that lever arms 34, 3' of said clips are more spread for engagement with the respective coils 38 of 0011- springs 3|. 1

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A connection for wire members in which a plurality of wire portions are arranged parallel and in close proximity to each other, a clip securing said wire portions together comprising a spring wire member having a coil portion at one end thereof, a resilient lever arm extending from said coil and slightly out of alignment with the plane thereof, and locking means extending transversely of the free end of said arm, the coil portion of said clip encircling allaof said wire portions and being tilted to engage diametrically opposed portions of said coil with opposite sides of said wire portions, said lever arm lying alongside said wire portions and said locking means being engaged therebeneath to hold said lever arm in strained relation and said coil tightly gripping said wire portions.

2. A connection for wire members in which a plurality of wire portions are arranged parallel and in close proximity to each other, a clip securing said wire portions together comprising a spring wire member having an openly wound coil portion at one end thereof, a resilient lever arm extending from saidcoil slightly out of alignment with the plane thereof and in partly overlapping relation with respect thereto, and locking means extending transversely of the free end of said arm, the coil portion of said clip encircling all of said wire portions and tilted to engage diametrically opposed portions of said coil with opposite sides of said wire portions, said lever arm overlying and engaging the end of said coil to close said openly wound coil portion and lying alongside said wire portions and said locking means being engaged therebeneath to hold said lever arm in strained relation and in contact with said coil and said coil tightly gripping said wire portions.

WILLIAM H. NEELY. 

